Platforms that allow people to share content have a responsibility to protect others from harm. Not just people, but animals as well. For instance, websites on which people can create listings should be careful not to allow animal abusers to purchase a pet or receive an animal for free. Similarly, travel websites should not promote or condone activities that exploit or abuse wild animals. Social media sites have the same responsibility. YouTube is a video sharing website that is probably one of the most used websites and apps out there. They should also not allow content that shows or promotes animal abuse.

When a YouTuber accidentally uploaded the wrong video footage to her channel which showed her abusing her dog, people campaigned for the website to remove the user. Unfortunately, YouTube did not take the appropriate action and remove her, but there is another channel on the site that really needs to be removed as it revolves completely around animal abuse, particularly torturing baby monkeys.

Most recently, the channel Captive Baby Monkeys, uploaded a video of an obviously terrified baby monkey being tortured by people who are pulling his ears, prodding his head, and grabbing him by his neck. He is visibly distressed and even crying. The video is even sadistically titled “teasing a baby monkey,” and the caption mentions that he was “newly confiscated from his mother.”

Warning: the video below contains distressing content. Please use discretion.

Animal welfare organization, Lady Freethinker says: “features dozens of vile animal abuse videos. Lady Freethinker reported the channel to YouTube, yet it remains up — and has been posting for nearly a year. By permitting these videos on their platform, YouTube is complicit in promoting animal cruelty.”

You can join them and stand against this cruelty by signing their petition urging YouTube to ban videos of animal cruelty.

Sign these other petitions that stand up against this kind of cruelty as well:

• End Private Monkey Sales and Primate Ownership
• Save Baby Monkeys Being Sold for $4 at Popular Tourist Sites
• End Deadly Primate Testing in the University of California at Davis

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
• Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that are raising awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade over and over again.
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• Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.
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• Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your own food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!